My endorsement level keeps going from 4 to 3 even though I don’t leave games and don’t get any kinds of punishments. When either victory or defeat appears on my screen I immediately leave the game, BUT the game’s already ended. I got my XP points, I leveled up, I got my lootbox and yet the system thinks that I’ve left the match. I can get 2-4 endorsements from my team and then see “Your endorsement level has gone from 4 to 3”. Is this even possible to earn level 5? 
1 Like
As someone that’s stuck in a level 2 to 3 limbo because I quit quickplay games once they end, I gotta agree. It kind of defeated the whole point of endorsements for me, since I’m gonna get demoted anyway.
1 Like
Endorcements are a waste of time… its pretty rare that I dendorce someone or get one.
1 Like
Hello! I have taken a lot of time to investigate endorsement ratings and how they work. Endorsement levels can decrease for a variety of reasons and can often be recovered.
The most common reasons that an endorsement level will decrease is due to decay over games played without receiving enough endorsements. Endorsement levels will reduce to a lower level if you did not receive enough endorsements within the most recent games played. Note that this is not a time-based decay (like Diamond and higher Competitive SR). Here are my recommended quota for maintaining and reaching certain endorsement levels:
- Players should earn one endorsement within two games played to reach and maintain level 2.
- Players should earn one endorsement within every game played to reach and maintain level 3.
- Players should earn two endorsements within every game played to reach and maintain level 4.
- Players should earn three endorsements within every game played to reach and maintain level 5.
Leaving games negatively affect your endorsement rating. Make sure in casual game modes to leave only after a match completes and before the next one starts. If you are penalized for leaving a Competitive Match, you will automatically take an instant endorsement level loss.
Violating the Blizzard Code-of-Conduct and receiving an account silence or suspension will result in a complete loss of your Endorsement ratings, demoting to level 0 (one level below the default).
You cannot lose endorsements for:
- Being falsely reported by other players. A report itself will not trigger a loss of endorsement rating, only an account action issued by Blizzard will.
- Electing to leave a Competitive Match by the option of forfeit when there is a leaver on your team for more than 2 minutes.
- Not playing the game for an extended period of time.
3 Likes
You need to have a consistent number of endorsements. I’m still on endorsement 5. I drop to 4 when I get none for 4-5 games, but get it back again a few games later.
I don’t think it’s that bad since it makes level 3 be the sort of point that shows you’re not someone who trolls or leaves early, but to get 4 and above, and maintain it, you have to actually be one who is doing what the endorsements say like shot calling.
- Players should earn three endorsements within every game played to reach and maintain level 5.
Whew, that’s a pretty weird system if that’s how the algorithm works.
My loophole is only play Arcade modes without endorsements - my level stays locked in position lol
These are my observations so far, I myself maintain level 4 most of the time. Blizzard did specifically say that level 5 is extremely difficult to reach.
1 Like
Did you know even if you leave a game as it ends you will not be matched into a new one until everything you skipped gets played?
Honestly thank you for actually taking the time to check that out. I do hope you’re wrong though. It sounds right but that way of doing things, subjectively, isn’t very effective.
But then again if it’s how most people assume it is, where you get minus endorsement by leaving games, it’s not effective either way.
I did not know that. Seem like a pretty weird feature. However I quit a lot of games like that to hopefully get into another pool queue normally, not to get into a game earlier. Thanks for the fun facts though!
1 Like
Blizzard does not want you leaving games, nor do other players (including causal modes). Its not fair to other members of a team to wait for a backfill if you decide to leave mid-match.
2 Likes
A Dev stated it somewhere but I don’t have the link to it.
I’ll take your word for it, aye.
1 Like
The overall Endorsements page gives details similar to mine:
I saw someone with a level 5 endorsement. It was a Sym one trick. 
1 Like
You ARE leaving games early. You just do not realize it. Stop leaving before you see the 4 player cards get handed out. Any time you leave before that causes a chance that the code that clears your match leaving penalty has not yet been sent / received by the Blizzard central hub server. Just wait those few extra seconds and miraculously your endorsement levels will stop bouncing like a yo yo.
Its not fair to other members of a team to wait for a backfill if you decide to leave mid-match.
That is true, however, endorsement barely does enough to punish that, in my opinion, specially if endorsement experience goes down if you exit the match basically at the end, as OP said. And if it doesn’t and it also works the way you explained, then a low level endorsement could be just someone that doesn’t get endorsed as much in games, or someone that quits most of his games mid-way. It’s just an opinion, though. Probably does it’s share on helping.
Stop leaving before you see the 4 player cards get handed out. Any time you leave before that causes a chance that the code that clears your match leaving penalty has not yet been sent / received by the Blizzard central hub server.
I think OP’s point and mine is that the whole “Technically early” thing could be fixed pretty easily.